


As the Crow Flies

by PurplePenumbra



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Alternate Canon, Drama, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29153874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplePenumbra/pseuds/PurplePenumbra
Summary: In the middle of a typical Battle Royale, Dan and Drago lose control, severely injuring a fellow bakugan and brawler. Drama and revelations regarding ancient ancestors ensue.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue: In the Rain

Large, obsidian clouds obscured the normally blue sky, casting the ground below in a long, gray shadow. Thunder loudly rumbled and crashed, warning those below to seek shelter, fast. But she was already ahead of the game.

Her current hovel on New Vestroia was small, but perfectly functional. She had shelter from the weather, and soft, lush moss for a bed, and it was quite far out, bordering the end of the plains and the beginning of endless sand dunes, so there was little chance of unwelcome guests. Not that she was expecting any. Half the time the others couldn’t even remember her name; she doubted anyone would come looking for her.

Corvanas winced as a new wave of pain radiated from her shoulder and back. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through it, shakily rising to her feet. After stretching her legs and remaining wing, she hobbled towards the entrance.  
The thunder roared again, popping off like a cannon. Loud noises used to scare her. She’d freeze up, tremble, then run away and hide. Not this time. There were other things...other bakugan…she feared even more.

Drawing in a breath, she felt her pulse quicken and heart race. Her chest grew tight. Vigorously shaking her head, she fought back tears that had begun to form. “Enough,” she murmured. “What’s done is done. I came back here to rest...not relive my worst nightmare.”

Her tension eased further as the first gentle raindrops began to fall. Exhaling, she sat down, enjoying the comfort she derived from it all-the sound of the water, the warmth of the haze, the refreshing breeze. A smile grew across Corvanas’ face, the first one she’d felt in weeks.

Hopefully this moment of peace wasn’t temporary.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back on Earth, the weather wasn’t any better. Lightning flashed between dark, looming clouds as rain poured down in buckets. A fog hung low, blurring the streets and sky together. Casey sighed, head perched on one hand as she stared out the window.

Growing bored, she turned towards her nightstand. Her emerald Bakumeter greeted her, the screen still sporting a rather large crack. “Crap...I was going to get that repaired today. Oh well,” she shrugged. “I can always go later. It’s not like I have a bakugan to pair it with right now anyways. Cora better be alright,” she sighed, mumbling to no one. “I feel bad for letting her go, but...she insisted.”

An obnoxious buzzing roused her from her musings. After steadying herself in her chair, she reached for her vibrating phone, the caller ID flashing a number she didn’t recognize. “Probably spam,” she scoffed, tossing it onto her bed. The phone continued to pulse for a few seconds, before silence resumed. 

“They left a message?” Casey thought aloud. Turning back, she picked up her phone, hitting PLAY on her voicemail.

A crackle of static trickling from the speaker made her wince. Muffled rustling sounds followed, as if someone was fumbling through their pockets. Finally, a voice began to speak.

“Uh… H-Hey, it’s Casey, right?” It was a boy. He sounded nervous. “It’s Dan. Dan Kuso? From earlier this week?”

She squeaked, just about dropping her phone in surprise. No way. There was no way the leader of the Battle Brawlers was on the other end of this call. It was impossible! How on Earth did he get her number anyways? It wasn’t on her public profile. She kept listening.

“Look, I...I’m really sorry, about that afternoon,” he continued. “I honestly can’t remember much, but…” he paused, swallowing hard before going on. “I remember your bakugan...I...I’m so sorry…” His voice wavered, a sniffle escaping. Was he crying? “I didn’t think...Drago would ever do something like that...He really didn’t mean to...I don’t think so, at least. Ugh, I’m rambling like a dummy.” Silence came again, the static coming back into the mix. Casey thought he had hung up. But his voice soon returned.

“Umm....yeah...that’s really all I wanted to say. You don’t have to reply if you don’t want to. I don’t expect you to. I’ll...be going away for a while anyway, so yeah. Sorry.” She heard an abrupt click, before the static returned once more.

Casey hung up, setting her phone down, a million questions erupting into her mind. How did he get this number? Why was he calling from a payphone? Why was he even calling in the first place? And, above all, what did he mean by “going away”? Was he leaving on his own accord...or was he encouraged to? 

That last thought made her miffed. “They don’t want bad PR,” she muttered, shaking her head. “He’s laying low until the whole thing blows over. Of course.” She gritted her teeth. “That apology is just part of damage control. Wow, I can’t believe I almost bought it. He’d make a hell of an actor if brawling doesn’t work out.” 

Sighing, Casey turned towards the window. The rain had stopped, and the sky was growing clear. She picked up her phone again, checking the time. The repair shop was still open for a few more hours. “Maybe...I will go today,” she decided, standing up to grab her Bakumeter. “I can always re-pair with Cora when she comes back. I’ll need it in full working order as soon as possible.” She padded out of her bedroom, snagging her hoodie off the hook in the hallway. “Once my angel returns, we’re paying the Brawlers a visit. If they want to apologize, they can do so properly, to their victim’s face.”


	2. Chapter 2

Despite last week’s events, Interspace was bustling like normal. Clusters of children ran about, laughing without a care in the world. Older teens congregated outside the arenas, some watching the ongoing matches while others simply chatted with their friends. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened.

That changed the second a certain Ventus brawler walked by.

It was impressive; in less than five seconds a hush fell over the plaza. You could have heard a pin drop. Shun was taken aback; he had expected a reaction, but not one this sudden. Nevertheless he continued on, his face frozen, and eyes focused straight ahead.

Whispers began escaping from the crowd as he moved past them, some scared, others disgusted.

"Look at 'im. Can't believe he has the balls to strut around like that."

"It wasn't his doing though. It was-"

"They haven't addressed it at all! Ten bucks they're just waiting for it to blow over. Ya don't just ignore something like that."

"Disgraceful."

"You don't think….it'll happen again, do you? I mean...Shun's the highest ranking brawler now…"

"That's ridiculous. It wasn't a rank that made-"

"Were they just….bad all along then?"

"Better question: who's to say...the other two won't turn out the same way?"

That last comment caused his stride to falter. Gritting his teeth, Shun pushed forward, leaving the cluster of fellow brawlers behind him. A headache twitched behind one of his eyes. "Dan really fucked up," he mumbled, rubbing one of his temples.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Is this really necessary, Marucho? We’ve been at this for a while,” Shun sighed, leaning back in one of the swivel chairs. Taylean nodded in agreement.

“I...suppose not,” the boy admitted, adjusting his glasses. “Quite frankly, it should be simple. But I feel like I’m missing something when it’s staring me straight in the face.”

“Did you rewind it already? Or is this still before the final round?”

“Halfway through the final,” Marucho confirmed. “Right after that girl’s last turn.”

“Casey,” Shun corrected.

“Hmm?”

“The girl.”

“Oh. Right.” With a click of a button, the footage resumed. “Pay attention to Drago here within the next few minutes. It’s small, but something is off…”

The video played out as normal. The battle was going surprisingly well; despite being at a clear disadvantage power level-wise, Casey’s power gauge was still half-full. That quickly changed, however, as Dan began his turn.

“Ability Activate: Dragon Force Striker!”

It was small, as Marucho had claimed, but Shun saw...something. Mid-ability Drago froze. His eyes flashed, widening, as if he’d spotted something unexpected. Quickly they glazed over, as if the dragon had gone into some sort of trance, before turning crimson and emitting a soft glow. A new, almost feral snarl flew from his lips, met with screams of shock from the audience before the reel was paused again.

“He seemed to be surprised by something,” Shun remarked.

Marucho hummed. “It makes me wonder if Anubias-or even Casey for that matter-triggered said reaction.”

“Why would they do that?” Taylean asked. “It only caused Drago to lash out at them.”

“Maybe that’s what they wanted,” his brawler countered. “Well, what Anubias wanted at least. He’s done nothing but show off and make himself look superior to all of us since showing up here. Besides, based on the girl’s reaction…” he started the footage again, pointing out Casey’s panic-stricken face as she watched her bakugan get body-slammed into the dirt of the arena. “It doesn’t look like she expected something like that to happen.” He stopped the footage once more, before it began playing the...more graphic part of the attack.

Unfortunately his finger was too slow. The reel continued, much to everyone's chagrin. Drago roared again, lunging at the opposing Ventus bakugan. Casey had been thrown against the wall due to the impact. She could be heard screaming, although her words were incoherent. jaws sank into one of the bakugan's wings, and in one quick motion it was torn straight out of their back. The bone splintered, an explosion of feathers and bits of tendon splattering everywhere, littering the floor. Emerald blood gushed from their wound as the smaller drake shrieked in pain, their remaining wing desperately thrashing out of instinct to escape.

In the background, a strange figure had appeared. It seemed...mechanical, in a sense? A robot perhaps? It was difficult to tell, especially since a loud crack and dark static soon took over the screen as the camera was destroyed.

“Poor little one,” Taylean whispered, shaking his head. “It’s a shame...they…” he didn’t finish.

“Speaking of that, are they alright?” Shun turned back to Marucho. “Did you manage to find some way to contact the girl?”

Marucho shook his head. “I wanted to, but...Father insisted on having one of our lawyers send a message on my behalf instead. We have yet to get a response.”

“Is there a chance she’ll sue you?”

“I don’t know,” Marucho admitted. “Technically, I wasn’t responsible for the assault, but since it happened on my property...Legally I may be liable to pay damages.”

“Dan should be the one paying anything,” Shun muttered. “Still can’t believe he just up and left us to clean up this mess.”

The Aquos brawler shot him a look. “If Anubias did something to trigger a bad reaction, it’s not entirely Dan and Drago’s fault,” he argued.

“It is if they chose to take their anger out on an innocent kid,” Shun pointed out. “They’re the number one Brawlers; they should be mature enough to keep their emotions in check.”

“But-”

“There’s no buts about it Marucho,” the ninja finally snapped. “They assaulted a fellow bakugan who’s leagues weaker than them. They ripped one of their wings clean off! That bakugan is permanently crippled now, and their brawler’s likely traumatized. There’s no excuse for something like that, and it pisses me off that you keep trying to hand-wave it away like it’s no big deal.”

“I’m not-”

“Yes you are!” Shun shouted, stunning the other two into silence. “You keep combing through the security tape like a madman, desperate to prove their innocence somehow. They’re not innocent Marucho! They did this! It’s right there! And they need to man the fuck up and take responsibility for what happened, instead of running away like a pair of cowards!”

"How stupid do you think I am?" Marucho had regained some courage. "I'm not trying to prove their innocence Shun! I'm not blind, I can see clearly what happened!"

"Then why are we wasting so much time looking at this footage then?" the ninja demanded.

"Because. I…" Marucho's voice wavered. "They didn't...do it on purpose," he answered quietly. "They couldn't have done it on purpose. I-We know them, Shun. Neither of them would ever dream of hurting any of the kids that come here." His lip trembled briefly. "I'm sick of everyone painting them as monsters. Especially when there may be a part of the story we're missing. I just... want to figure that out, so I can help them."

Shun let out a loud sigh to steady himself, his expression softening. “I don’t think they did this on purpose either,” he assured Marucho. “But...this isn’t an isolated incident. Ever since that final battle with Dharack, something’s been off. It’s grown more difficult for them to control this power they’ve been given. There’s obviously a problem.” He turned to his friend. “I want to help them too, Marucho, but did you forget how they reacted when you suggested they take a break? They got defensive and pushed us both away. Dan and Drago didn’t want help, and now it’s blown up in their faces. Maybe I was rather harsh,” he admitted. “But this could have easily been avoided.”

“You’re right,” Marucho conceded. “I’m sorry.”

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a ringing tone coming from one of the monitors behind them. “Oh? I wasn’t expecting any calls today,” the Aquos brawler remarked. He checked the caller ID. “Ah, this was-”

“Lawyer?” Shun guessed. 

Marucho nodded. “Seems so. They must have heard back from Casey.”

“Good.” He rose out of his chair, Taylean hopping off the table onto his shoulder. “We’ll give you some privacy. Let me know how it turns out,” he requested, turning heel and leaving their internal HQ.


End file.
